Well, no luck getting any info from risse racing about the shock dimensions, so I ordered another fox float for my other v. My second one is a mint 2002. I already broke her in by getting some nasty chain suck. I knew I should have adjusted the derailers before I rode her around the yard. I am going to make this one a light, Lefty Jake and Fox floatRP2. I have quite a few goodies for this one, just need to get shifters and a front derailer. It has a nice soft seat.

Put some flat pedals on my bike to see how it feels. Haven't ridden flats since my bmx days. They sucked climbing, but I was riding some techy stuff today and it was nice to not have to worry about clipping back in when I needed to dab. I didn't feel like I was going to come off with some old waffle sole vans except on one little drop thats got a root on the lip. It kicked the back a bit and I was off the pedals in the air but not enough to cause a crash. I also cut the seatpost a while ago so I can put it down more for playing around on steep stuff.

Here is the uber light almost finished. I am waiting for the shock to get here, and the cranks should be here on friday or monday. This is the one I am looking foward to riding, it is almost the same as a 700sx that was stolen from me @ 2001.

Nice

Originally Posted by ernie1972

Here is the uber light almost finished. I am waiting for the shock to get here, and the cranks should be here on friday or monday. This is the one I am looking foward to riding, it is almost the same as a 700sx that was stolen from me @ 2001.

E.

I do this to crosstrain for the bikes in the background.

That's going to be a sweet bike...

I love your other garage candy too!! 3 dirt bikes!! You have a great life my friend...

Originally Posted by Soupboy

Thread thread has a strong quasi-Craig's List Casual Encounters Man on Man vibe. I digress. As you were.

Okay, finally got the shock and most evrything else I need for the Uber, but the old rear spacers are too wide to mate the shock to the swingarm. Anyone know the best source for this?

Thanks!!

Go to a local machine shop have have them turn it down on a lathe...takes less than a minute. Just give them the dimension....or if you don't have a caliper, bring everything in and they can measure that real quick too.

I've lurking in the background here for a while 'researching' my Uber-lite build. Here's the result:

It's a '96 (built in 96... model year 97??). I kept the old rear triangle and drilled and cut the tabs to fit a 165mmx38mm Manitou swinger 3way, and installed a Marzocchi XC 700 100mm fork. I got into 'upgrade mode' and added 9 speed XT/XTR drivetrain, Maguras, and a mavic crossmax enduro wheelset.

I bought the bike about a year and a half ago, and rode it as it was for a year, until the old headshok (DD-50 i think) blew up. I've only been out on it a couple times so far but the difference is amazing!! In true style the weather has been great here while i was building the bike, and now just as i have finished it it's turned crap... doh! Will try to post some better pics, but i don't think the bike is going to be this clean again for a while!

tried that....they were too busy! But, I did find a solution:

Originally Posted by oister

Go to a local machine shop have have them turn it down on a lathe...takes less than a minute. Just give them the dimension....or if you don't have a caliper, bring everything in and they can measure that real quick too.

Which, I have to admit, makes me feel a little stupid for not thinking of it first: I called Fox and they had the bushings in stock. I took my dial calipers and measured the ID of the Jekyll swing arm shock mount, which I measured as 15.74 mm. The Fox guy said they had a slightly different measurement, didn't write it down but he was very comfortable with the bushings needed to mount the RP3. The original bushings from the Fox Vanilla OEM shock fit the other end. Bushings cost a whopping $5.00. So now a short wait and I should complete the build in a week or so.

Beautiful build! Mine is similar...

Originally Posted by BradS

Hello!

It's a '96 (built in 96... model year 97??). I kept the old rear triangle and drilled and cut the tabs to fit a 165mmx38mm Manitou swinger 3way, and installed a Marzocchi XC 700 100mm fork. I got into 'upgrade mode' and added 9 speed XT/XTR drivetrain, Maguras, and a mavic crossmax enduro wheelset.

I bought the bike about a year and a half ago, and rode it as it was for a year, until the old headshok (DD-50 i think) blew up. I've only been out on it a couple times so far but the difference is amazing!! In true style the weather has been great here while i was building the bike, and now just as i have finished it it's turned crap... doh! Will try to post some better pics, but i don't think the bike is going to be this clean again for a while!

I have the red/yellow color scheme for my '97, and i spent a little extra time getting the colors for my mods the way I wanted. For example, I first mounted a set of silver alloy handlebars, but it didn't look quite right, so I grabbed a set of carbon bars in black...much better! I am waiting to finish the bike before posting pics. Your bike turned out very well.

Sorry to hear about the weather in Sweden...how many months before it warms up ? Not to dis our local talent in Alabama, but the thought of your possibilities for female riding partners is intriguing.

finally got around to weighing my uber after installing my new 9sp drivetrain. 32lbs. A couple lbs more than I hoped, but its got a cheapo heavy wheelset and other various heavy cheap parts that I put on it when I built it so I could just get riding. I'd like to get it sub-30 lbs eventually.

Sorry to hear about the weather in Sweden...how many months before it warms up ? Not to dis our local talent in Alabama, but the thought of your possibilities for female riding partners is intriguing.

Well, it doesn't warm up again till april really, but the problem is more the rain and darkness than temperature! As for the riding partners... its not quite what you might imagine... In fact the only girl i know who rides mtb is australian!

I had the same problem...

Originally Posted by ryguy79

finally got around to weighing my uber after installing my new 9sp drivetrain. 32lbs. A couple lbs more than I hoped, but its got a cheapo heavy wheelset and other various heavy cheap parts that I put on it when I built it so I could just get riding. I'd like to get it sub-30 lbs eventually.

I am not finished yet, still haven't done the rear end, but mine tips the scales at ~32 pounds too. I was hoping to be sub-30 for sure. I have a little more bling to add so we'll see if I can shed a few more...

I went with an RP3 air instead of DHX or coil to save weight, and compared to the OEM coil Fox Vanilla I should save at least one pound...plus a lighter seat, bars, seat post, plus I have a few more goodies. I even used a Cane Creek Double Xc flush to shave a few grams over the Xc short. We'll see...

I am not finished yet, still haven't done the rear end, but mine tips the scales at ~32 pounds too. I was hoping to be sub-30 for sure. I have a little more bling to add so we'll see if I can shed a few more...

I went with an RP3 air instead of DHX or coil to save weight, and compared to the OEM coil Fox Vanilla I should save at least one pound...plus a lighter seat, bars, seat post, plus I have a few more goodies. I even used a Cane Creek Double Xc flush to shave a few grams over the Xc short. We'll see...

My next step will probably a new wheelset. But probably no sooner than summer.

Marta rear disc doesn't match Jekyll swingarm...help!!

I nabbed a used Magura Marta SL rear disc with 160 mm rotor diam and when I test-fit the 2004 Jekyll swing-arm and Mavic Cross-ride rear wheel I ran into a problem: the rotor is off-set by approximately 5 mm towards the inside!!! . I anticipated using the Magura .2 mm shims to properly align the rotor/caliper, but this is waaaay off. Any ideas on how to set things right?

I nabbed a used Magura Marta SL rear disc with 160 mm rotor diam and when I test-fit the 2004 Jekyll swing-arm and Mavic Cross-ride rear wheel I ran into a problem: the rotor is off-set by approximately 5 mm towards the inside!!! . I anticipated using the Magura .2 mm shims to properly align the rotor/caliper, but this is waaaay off. Any ideas on how to set things right?

Find bigger spacers. You can also shim the rotor if you don't want to make it all up on the caliper side. Cannondale used to use a one-piece six-hole spacer to shim the rotor off the hub.

Swingarm trouble...

How do I remove the swingarm? I have a '97 SuperV with Deore XT 8-speed gruppo. The BB is square taper, the swingarm has 8mm hex head on each side of the swingarm through-bolt shaft. Is it left-hand thread by any remote chance?

I removed both crank arms to get clear access to the swingarm mount. I used an 8mm hex wrench on each side of the swingarm and turned the LH hex wrench while allowing the RH hex wrench to rotate around and contact the BB shaft. I then turned the LH hex wrench counter-clockwise to unscrew the bolt. It was very difficult to turn, but finally loosened a little and turned about three full revolutions. Then there was a very loud "pop", and the hex wrench now will turn a little easier, but the bolts do not ever un-screw. I am unable to pry the bolt head out from either side of the swingarm. I have gently tried to drive the through-bolt out from the RH side as this side looks like the hollow side, but no luck.

I have an '04 Jekyll swingarm and had the LBS install new bearings. The through-bolt on the new swingarm uses an 8mm hex on the "bolt" and a 6mm on the "nut". Perhaps I made a mistake in thinking the original swingarm mount was the same as the newer one?

At any rate, what do I do now? Should I take a large diameter drill bit and remove the head of one side of the through-bolt, then use a drift to drive the remnants out the other side?

Or do I sheepishly take the bike to the LBS and pay the man to bail me out?

heartfixer - I'd drill it out. Sounds like you stripped out or quite possibly broke off the female side of the pivot bolt. I don't think you have anything to lose in drilling it out because you'll have to replace it anyway if it is stripped. I'd drill it and order another pivot bolt.

Hey Shag, that's what I had decided to do...

But I am a little cautious about how much material to remove....don't wanna mess up the frame, not too worried about the old swingarm. And I already have a new thru-bolt, so no waiting for parts. If anyone cares to give me more advice...

But I am a little cautious about how much material to remove....don't wanna mess up the frame, not too worried about the old swingarm. And I already have a new thru-bolt, so no waiting for parts. If anyone cares to give me more advice...

Both sides of that pivot bolt style are identical. It's two aluminum parts threaded onto a big steel nipple. The threads are standard. It sounds like the LH side may have broken. If you can get one side out you will be able to pound out the other. Does the RH side turn (loosen)?

here's the "new" thru-bolt....

The new bolt came with the new '04 swingarm. Ya think they chnged the design in the ensuing seven years? It seems to differ from your description of the original in that there is no steel nipple. As you can see, this one has a long thru-bolt and a shorter "nut", it should come apart the samethough,...I'm wondering if I just need to find some way to extract the halves...

It seems to differ from your description of the original in that there is no steel nipple. As you can see, this one has a long thru-bolt and a shorter "nut", it should come apart the same...I'm wondering if I just need to find some way to extract the halves...

That picture is of the newer style which is quite different. The ones stuck in your frame are silver with #8s on both sides, right?

I just shot the LH side...gotta go to church. I was thinking if I can remove enuff material from the end of the bolt, it should shove out the other side...

You can't really hurt anything - the beariing is probably shot anyway. Hopefully it won't just spin when you start drilling. You might be able to cut the head off one side with a dremel and a cutting wheel if you have one.

Here's the post-mortem...

I took the frame to my neighbor and used his drill press. Not too bad, we just had an "all-size" bit that is graduated and drills a hole that is "stepped" like an upside-down wedding cake. The deepest part of the hole is narrow, and the shallow part is wide. After drilling, I took a chisel and knocked off the remainder of the old thru-bolt head, then used a drift to force the thru-bolt out the other side. Next I cleaned up the frame and test-fit the new swingarm...perfect!! Here are few pics, but I forgot the camera when I went to my neighbor's so none of 'em show the actual drilling in progress. Note the difference in the early thru-bolt compared to the later one.

Maybe this pic shows the snapped bolt more clearly...

I took the frame to my neighbor and used his drill press. Not too bad, we just had an "all-size" bit that is graduated and drills a hole that is "stepped" like an upside-down wedding cake. The deepest part of the hole is narrow, and the shallow part is wide. After drilling, I took a chisel and knocked off the remainder of the old thru-bolt head, then used a drift to force the thru-bolt out the other side. Next I cleaned up the frame and test-fit the new swingarm...perfect!! Here are few pics, but I forgot the camera when I went to my neighbor's so none of 'em show the actual drilling in progress. Note the difference in the early thru-bolt compared to the later one.

Now all I need is a few more hours of daylight....

Wow- That's the first time I've seen anyone break the steel nipple! FYI- you'll need to use the silver spacers when you reassemble. The black ones are too narrow for your frame.

Edit: One more thing - use a torque wrench with that black bolt or you may end up breaking it - 240 in-Lbs (27 Nm)

I guess there's no turning back now...

Is there a demand ...

for our standard Super V swingarms?

What I see in terms of big difference is that the Jekyll swingarm has a shorter front spine and the pivot is on top of that main spar and back a little. Can someone get me some measurements off a Jekyll swingarm? I'm interested in pivot to shock mount, pivot to rear wheel (back of slot) mount and shock mount to rear wheel. I would like to see if it's possible to cut a stock swingarm and change the attachment points to match the Jekyll swingarm specs. If there isn't a demand for our stock swingarms, then maybe I could pick one up cheap and cut/weld it to make a stock looking swingarm that has the long travel we are looking for.

Thanks!

Bar ends are coming off. I need to shorten the bars a bit. What's the technique for cutting carbon?

I lucked out with the labelling on the carbon handlebars matching pretty closely the yellow/red C'dale color scheme. Also the swingarm just happened to have yellow lettering too. I did wait a while to get the seat with red/yellow stitching.

The last pic was to show how I had to use spacers to align the rear brake with the rotor. I took a stack of aluminum washers and some 400 grit, then sanded each one on each side and measured 'em with dial calipers. They were pretty consistently in the 1.50 mm range. I had to stack three to get the right offset. I like the Avid adjustment wheels.

Still on the want-list is a lighter seatpost, then 9-speed goodies.

But first....gotta ride! I have a fake doctor's appointment this afternoon soI can hit the trail.

Bar ends are coming off. I need to shorten the bars a bit. What's the technique for cutting carbon?

I lucked out with the labelling on the carbon handlebars matching pretty closely the yellow/red C'dale color scheme. Also the swingarm just happened to have yellow lettering too. I did wait a while to get the seat with red/yellow stitching.

The last pic was to show how I had to use spacers to align the rear brake with the rotor. I took a stack of aluminum washers and some 400 grit, then sanded each one on each side and measured 'em with dial calipers. They were pretty consistently in the 1.50 mm range. I had to stack three to get the right offset. I like the Avid adjustment wheels.

Still on the want-list is a lighter seatpost, then 9-speed goodies.

But first....gotta ride! I have a fake doctor's appointment this afternoon soI can hit the trail.

Nice bike.
Cutting carbon is easy. Just wrap some masking tape around the part to be cut first, measure, mark it and then cut it thru the tape.

First ride: WOW!!!

Huge difference on the rear end!! OEM was a Fox Vanilla with a 950# coil spring

Now the Fox RP3 7.5 x 2.0 is nothing less than unbelievable! In the past, hitting a 1" 2" root or rock would tend to launch me upward if my butt was on the seat. Now the bike just goes right over with barely a ripple transmitted to my spine. Amazing. Took off w/o my fork pump so couldn't stop periodically and play with the pre-load. I set the sag to 1/2" but it feels a little low in the back end. Also the front seems a little light unless I lean forward a bit on the climbs.

The bike is noticeably lighter now. Gotta get to an accurate scale to see if I'm under 30#.

I have a trip planned to work at a hospital in Albuquerque the week after Thanksgiving. Should I just reserve a bike at the LBS or ship the Uber?

I think I am finnaly finished with this one. I have replaced the front triangle with a white one, the fox float with a vanilla rc, and the 6" rotor with an 8". I'm still not sure if I like the white or black frame better, I guess only time will tell. Now I just have to fine tune the shock, and maybee add tpc valveing to the lefty.

I'd definately do that. FYI, if you're interested, with some effort, you can run a TPC+ compression damper, giving you the additional piston which provides position sensitive damping... Nice work, keeping the Lefty

I think I am finnaly finished with this one. I have replaced the front triangle with a white one, the fox float with a vanilla rc, and the 6" rotor with an 8". I'm still not sure if I like the white or black frame better, I guess only time will tell. Now I just have to fine tune the shock, and maybee add tpc valveing to the lefty.
E.

No, I really don't need the extra travel around here. If I really want to go big, I do it on the mxer. I guess if I came across a 99 short tab, it would be on. I don't think my wife would be to happy about it, I have 4 super v's(2 built, and 2 frames) a jekyll frame( front triangle he gave his life for the white super) an f900sx frame, a few lefty's and some headshocks. She started to notice all the mountainbikes and asked if I had some kind of problem. I guess the problem is you can find frames and bikes in the 150-500 range so it's so easy to get one.

My effort

I thought it was about time I posted a couple of pics of my '99 Uber.

I was out on it with the dog last night when I felt the left pedal working loose. So I stopped, and the crank fell off! As I bike through fields with the dog, I thought that were little or no chance of finding the crank bolt. But as I shone the light on the ground, I actually stepped on it! I can only assume that my ankle or something had kept it in place until I had stopped.
Still, as I had no tools with me, and didn't want to run the risk of rounding off the ISIS, a long run back to the house in -5C winds ensued!

Great website for weight info...

This site has some good info if you are seriously looking to save weight. It reveals the reason my build is having trouble getting under 30#, my Marzocchi AM1 130mm-travel fork is pretty heavy @ 2314 gr. I can probably shave that to the 1500 gr range with a REBA or a couple of other Fox models, or if I wanna stay Marzocchi there are a few choices too.

Took my UIber to the LBS and they have one of those bike stands with an integrated scale, it came in @ 30.26 lbs with the mini-pump removed. I have an XTR crankset on the way, that'll help.

[FONT="Verdana"]I felt the left pedal working loose. So I stopped, and the crank fell off!

Nice work, good looking bike! I've also had issues with one falling off, at a very gentle pace. Seems fine now, but I was never a big fan of ISIS, for that reason, seen it happen to a lot of others too, usually just once though. Maybe they need that to seat better, who knows....

Frankenbike LIVES!!!

Well there is another new Uber in the world. The LBS got the headset in and wrapped up assemble yesterday on the bits that I just didn't have tools for. It definitely rides incredibly compared to the old dead DD60 and Fox Vanilla the new 2007 Marzocchi All Mountain 2 and the 5th element are luxury car smooth! I have a question for you guys that are using 5th elements though, the manual that I got with mine when I bought it used says to inflate it to a max of 150 but that was way too soft and the LBS said to start at rider weight and adjuust, I am 191 lbs plus winter riding gear... Am I going to blow this shock up running 200 lbs of pressure in this thing??? Also it seems like I can't inflate the IFP port at all, doesn't seem to take any pressre... I got this thing used, does it maybe just need a new seal kit installed? The bike wasn't bobbing at all that I felt.

Overall impressions were:
1: this thing is soooo much taller.
2: much smoother ride over roots, rocks, and drops.
3: might be slightly less capable climber, hard to judge though because we got our first snow this morning so traction was a little iffy.
4: turns... again hard to be too critical based on the slick conditions but I did get a bit wide on a few, we'll see what happens whe I can really plant the tires on solid dirt.
5: doesn't hop as easy/high... I gotta weigh this thing but due to costs my new wheelset is a good deal heavier than my old one, I have a feeling that is part of that problem, plus the shocks soak up any preload I try to put into the bike for a hop...
6: back wasn't sore at the end of the ride for once, think its a keeper!

I'll try to post pics soon, its looking pretty ratty due to the wild mix of cannabalized parts. anyway, thanks to all for the info/inspiration for this project. I was really not sure what I was going to do with my bike because the shocs were soooo wasted, now she rides like new!

Ok, I think I may have been crying wolf on the IFP pressure, I guess it is an extremely low volume chamber and when I was attaching the pump to check the pressure it was dropping so low due to pressurizing the hose, it seems like the pump hose is close to the same volume of air. I am still concerned about the main chamber pressure being advertised as 75 to 150 psi when I weigh over 200 lbs fully dressed out for winter riding so any experienced guidance on that one would be much appreciated.

Ok, I think I may have been crying wolf on the IFP pressure, I guess it is an extremely low volume chamber and when I was attaching the pump to check the pressure it was dropping so low due to pressurizing the hose, it seems like the pump hose is close to the same volume of air. I am still concerned about the main chamber pressure being advertised as 75 to 150 psi when I weigh over 200 lbs fully dressed out for winter riding so any experienced guidance on that one would be much appreciated.

I have a 5th air that used to be on my Uber. I ran it at 160 Main and 80 IFP. At the time I weighed about 190 (no gear). I got about 25% sag and a good pedalling platform with that setup. It was customed tuned by Progressive for the Uber but I used it with the same settings before the tuning as well. I had it serviced at Progressive just before they stopped working on them but I haven't used it since.

Thanks rw, I will have to do some testing with this next weekend. Well here is a shot of Frankenbike... once I get everything dialed in and functional I will worry more about paint, decals, etc. It's weighing in at 31.6 lbs right now, the steerer still needs to be trimmed, may trim the handlbar down a little, and maybe come tax return time I will be able to swap out the crankset, maybe even step up on the wheelset.

Thanks for the kind words Craig... AND for the swingarm. Right now there are sooo many colors on this thing that just about anything else would "blend" lol... I'm trying to get hold of a sticker set like what was on my original 98 frame, they were the split pea green (ODG) so I can stealth this sucker out. I'm not a real flashy kind of guy so flat paint colors work really well for me. All the bright yellow and blue on this thing would give me a headache if I were sitting around looking at it instead of riding it. I'll probably pull the decals off the wheels. I had planned on getting down to 2 colors, flat black and olive drab green, but now that the fork is grey and so are the tires I may have to revise that plan.

I'll probably pull the decals off the wheels. I had planned on getting down to 2 colors, flat black and olive drab green, but now that the fork is grey and so are the tires I may have to revise that plan.

Ahh, just spray paint it bright orange, and smoke 'em on the downhills

i would if they'd had any affordable helmet mounts. i'm not going to using these for hardcore night riding. i've got about an hour of good riding light after work, then getting back starts getting tricky in the twilight.

now i need a beater helmet. for the price, $15 each, I might buy a third and see what i can make for a helmet mount. i liked having two on the bar...they're not aimed right in the same spot for a longer field of view. one's aimed up close for slower speed stuff and one aimed further out.

Our newest Uber

We just finished building this one for a new UberV rider. First ride was yesterday and as expected, the Uber performed flawlessly despite the tricky conditions.

This may be the best looking one yet. It's an awesome combination of old and new. We got really lucky with matching a new '03 swingarm to the '96 frame. The colors are so close it looks factory. I was even able to find a matching touch-up paint to finish the tabs and other modifications. Tab cutting is tricky on a medium frame but this one turned out really nicely. Most of the build is brand new including the '08 Fox Talas RLC and DHX 5.0 which provide 140mm travel in front and 150mm travel in the rear. Other highlights include the '08 XT Dual Control levers and calipers as well as components by Chris King, Thomson, Race Face, and WTB.

Nice Build

Looking to Upgrade

I've had a '99 V400 for a while with what I think are all original parts save for the shock and the seat. I am seriously thinking about doing a ground-up upgrade on the entire bike complete with powder coating.

I am looking for advice and guess my questions are these:

1. Can I begin to upgrade (aka "Uberize") the bike's components before I get a Jekyll swingarm or does the entire process revolve around that acquisition?

2. As far as components in general go- anyone willing to make any suggestions as to how I should spec out the re-build? I've waded through a lot of the posts here (and in the other SV thread) but I start to get a tad overwhelmed.

If you want to do the whole thing, start buying whatever you want, since you'll score a swingarm sooner or later. It is essential to making it all work though. As for parts, just use modern stuff that makes you happy, there are no real conflicts that I've heard of. One could easily go crazy listening to all the opinions about which works best, but truth be told, if you've ridden it happily, the part will be fine, otherwise, spend all the crazy money you like! If you're in need of a swing arm, PM me for some details. Cheers!

...start buying whatever you want, since you'll score a swingarm sooner or later. It is essential to making it all work though. As for parts, just use modern stuff that makes you happy, there are no real conflicts that I've heard of...

I think that's pretty much what I needed to hear. I could way way over analyze this whole process with spreadsheets and statistics but I'll just keep it simple and go with decent components.

I just might PM you later about swingarms since that seems to tie the whole package together.

I've had a '99 V400 for a while with what I think are all original parts save for the shock and the seat. I am seriously thinking about doing a ground-up upgrade on the entire bike complete with powder coating.

I am looking for advice and guess my questions are these:

1. Can I begin to upgrade (aka "Uberize") the bike's components before I get a Jekyll swingarm or does the entire process revolve around that acquisition?

2. As far as components in general go- anyone willing to make any suggestions as to how I should spec out the re-build? I've waded through a lot of the posts here (and in the other SV thread) but I start to get a tad overwhelmed.

I wanna do this right and avoid crappy combinations.

Thanks,

JK

You'd give up that color? I dig the green.
You definitely need to replace the swingarm and rear shock at the same time. You could upgrade the front end first if you want to. I run a Fox DHX air and a Talas RLC 140 and couldn't be happier with the performance.
FYI- we found out a while back that the DHX coil doesn't fit the Uber.

You'd give up that color? I dig the green.
You definitely need to replace the swingarm and rear shock at the same time. You could upgrade the front end first if you want to. I run a Fox DHX air and a Talas RLC 140 and couldn't be happier with the performance.
FYI- we found out a while back that the DHX coil doesn't fit the Uber.

I've been on the hunt for a swingarm for a week or so now. I've found about four so far and think I'm going to secure one for $75 hopefully tomorrow. We'll see. I just might leave the color green otherwise I'd be afraid to scuff up a new paint job!

Will a 7.875 x 2 rear shock work with the Jekyll swingarm on our bikes (I have a 99 frame)?

If not, will it simply not fit or will it fit yet yield an unacceptable or undesirable geometry?

JKW

It really doesn't work. I tried a 7.875x2.25. The extra 3/8" length has a 3X affect at the rear wheel. I was able to correct the HT angle by jacking the headtube up with adapters and a tall fork but it made the bottom bracket way too tall which resulted in instability. Worse yet, it changed the position of the arc of the swingarm which had an unfavorable effect on the way the suspension reacted. It felt like a falling-rate rear suspension (very fast bottom-out). I ended up lowering the HT and going back to the 7.5x2.

BTW, I may just get the award for the worst injury on an Uber. Late in October last year I messed up the launch on a jump, landed wrong and tagged a tree six feet off the ground. Then the bike and I tumbled about thirty feet down the trail. The result was ten hours in the ER with a broken scapula and partially torn rotator cuff. The bike did much better, not even a scratch. Good news was that no surgery was needed, just eight weeks of PT. All is well for the most part, I've been riding the Uber every weekend for the past four weeks. The wheels will have to stay on the ground for a while.

Really nice setup with 26 PSI in the front and 30 PSI in the back. The low pressure adds a level of comfort to my shoulder and extra traction on roots and rocks. I'd like more clearance in the back however. Should be able to score a 2003 swing arm before the spring.

I'm thinking of putting an Uber together but I don't want to go the Jekyll swing arm route right away. What shock would be a good upgrade for travel and ride quality? I'll be putting a Rock Shox Tora 85-130mm on it.

I'm thinking of putting an Uber together but I don't want to go the Jekyll swing arm route right away. What shock would be a good upgrade for travel and ride quality? I'll be putting a Rock Shox Tora 85-130mm on it.

I haven't bought it yet, I have my eye on about four right now, but I was looking for advice on where to begin. Should I just wait until I get it before posting for ideas? Do the shock eyelet center to centers change much from year to year (traditional swing arm styles not the banana types)?

No Turning Back Now

I got my Jekyll swingarm in on Tuesday- I found it on Craigslist in Memphis Tennessee and the guy was nice enough to take PayPal and ship ($90 total). Last night I stripped everything from the old green 99 V400 except for the BB and cranks/chain ring. I had to take it to a shop to have that last part removed.

When I got home from work today I used Tal-Strip to remove all of the green paint from the frame and the blue paint from the swingarm. After about 4 hours of sanding with progressively finer grit paper I am finally ready to re-assemble after a good polishing with Mother's Aluminum Polish.

Hopefully my swinger 4-way will come in Saturday in time for a test ride!